Last Tuesday, SFU Career Services held a one-hour Q&A session on Twitter about resumes and cover letters, under the hashtag #OLCchat. The chat, which was the latest installment of a series of online discussions, elicited honest questions, stories of major resume goofs, and some clear and concise answers.

General career advisor David Lindskoog, who was behind the wheel of the Career Services account for the chat, said the medium allows Career Services and the Online Learning Community to reach out to more students.  “We’ve been using various social media tools, as many student services departments have in recent years, to increase our engagement with students and alumni quite a bit, and that’s certainly become common practice in the post-secondary world,” Lindskoog said.

“Embracing social media is one of the ways we’re reaching more and different audiences than we have in years past, and we’re excited to be seeing the engagement with our ‘Twitter Tuesdays’ initiative that we have so far.” Here are the highlights from the conversation.

What’s the biggest resume mistake you’ve seen/made?

I accidentally sent a cover letter I wrote for a completely different company once.

>> Lizz Moffat @lizzmoffat

My name was wrong on my 1st resume. It autocorrected to “Tricycle Ducky”. I didn’t get the job + learned a lesson.
>> Trisha Dulku  @TrishaDulku

I’ve seen cover letters with incorrect facts about the company
>> Natalie @natpope412

What do you think of highly visual infographic type resumes?

Depends on what type of job you’re looking for. Sometimes taking a bit of a design risk can set you from the pack!
>> Sage Testini @sagetestini

Definitely risky! You have to make sure your design skill sets align with how well your info graphic resume looks like.
>> Rebecca @bex852

“@lilka321:  I once saw a resume printed on a napkin – for a hospitality type of job. It worked! :)”
>> SFU Career Services
@SFU_Career

What do you struggle with most when writing resumes/cover letters?

I always struggle with coming off sincere, and trying to avoid cliches.
>> Lizz Moffat @lizzmoffat

What skills/qualifications should I place in the “prime real estate” section of my resume? It changes for each position.
>> Sophie T @sophtsai

My biggest challenge is identifying what qualities from the JD I should highlight.. ie: What’s most important
>> Natalie @natpope412

I struggle w/explaining why I’m applying for the job. Usually its b/c I need money but don’t want to seem desperate
>> Trisha Dulku @TrishaDulku

Another perspective: What’s the story behind this application? Why this employer? They know u need $, so what else?
>> Dave Lindskoog @lindenforest

What’s your best piece of resume/cover letter advice? 

Be genuine and know what you wrote so you can speak about it if you are immediately called for an interview!
>> Jocelyn Tang @t_joce16

Always triple check your spelling. Read your resume + cover letter out loud to yourself.
>> Trisha Dulku @TrishaDulku

Know what sets you apart, and don’t write anything that doesn’t serve that purpose.
>> SFU Career Services
@SFU_Career